As three dimensional (3-D) cameras and visual tracking systems become less expensive and more commonly available, there is an increasing effort to employ this technology to improve user interaction with computer systems. For example, hand gestures may be detected to perform specific actions such as volume control or muting. Attempts to provide pointing control, however, (similar, for example, to that provided by mouse operation) present additional challenges using this technology.
One problem is that the resolution of the tracking camera is typically much less than the resolution of the screen. It is not generally possible therefore to map, say, a user's fingertip from the tracking image, to every pixel on the screen. This limits the pointing accuracy of such a system, making it difficult, for example, to select a small icon on the screen or perform other relatively fine motion operations. Another problem is related to ergonomics. It can become tiring and uncomfortable for a user to move his or her hand and arm throughout the entire image field of the camera in order to exercise pointing control over the computer system, especially over longer periods of time, thus making this approach impractical.
Although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments, many alternatives, modifications, and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art.